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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · patient · clip · trunk · bore · racket · tear · fork

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. clip — to cut
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. clip — a video
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bore — to drill
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bore — to tire
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. tear — from crying
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. board — to get on
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. tear — from crying
  19. board — a committee
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. clip — for paper
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. tear — to rip

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com